DASKA: In an upset for the ruling PTI, its candidate Ali Asjad Malhi lost the hotly-contested NA-75 seat to PML-N’s Nosheen Iftikhar on Saturday.
The by election in NA-75 Daska Sialkot constituency had gained national importance after a by-poll in the same constituency on February 19 this year was declared void by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) due to multiple incidents of violence and serious irregularities.
Following controversy, the ECP had ordered a re-election in NA-75. The PTI candidate had, however, challenged the ECP order in the Supreme Court, but the petition was dismissed on April 2 and the apex court ordered that the poll be held on April 10 as per schedule.
In total, 214,063 votes were cast in the by election, out of a total voter base of 494,003. Of the total votes cast, 1,702 were rejected as invalid.
Final vote count
PML-N : 110,075
PTI : 93,433
TLP : 8,268
According to provisional and unofficial results from all 360 polling stations, announced after midnight, at around 12:30am on Sunday, Iftikhar managed to secure 110,075 votes, whereas Malhi received 93,433.
The finally tally means the PML-N won by a margin of 16,642 votes.
Voter turn out remained a disappointing 43.33%. Among men, the turnout was 45.1%, while turnout among women was slightly lower at 41.2%.
As a sign of how fervent the campaigning for the seat had been, both the PML-N and the PTI did better compared to the 2018 election result – with the PML-N registering a 8% increase in votes and the PTI candidate getting 51% more votes despite a lower turnout (43.33% compared to 55.84% in 2018). The TLP actually did worse than before, registering a decline of 44% in the number of votes cast.
The margin of victory was as a result much narrower compared to 2018: the PML-N had won in 2018 with a margin of 40,042 votes, which narrowed to a lower 16,642 in 2021.
The first results from the election started being announced from 6:00pm, when the bar placed by the Election Commission of Pakistan on reporting of vote counts was relaxed.
Initial data from the constituency, based on provisional and unofficial results, showed PML-N candidate Nosheen Iftikhar taking an early lead against rival Ali Asjad Malhi of the PTI.
Barring a few accusations of ‘bogus voting’ and reservations against some presiding officers raised by Nosheen Iftikhar, the polling process had remained mostly uneventful earlier in the day.
PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz had also urged her party’s supporters to come out and vote.
Both candidates, however, expressed satisfaction with the overall arrangements for the by-polls.
Initial reports suggest that voter turnout remained low, particularly in rural areas in the constituency, which was expected to play in favour of the PML-N candidate.
The district monitoring officer had told the district police officer to prevent any MNAs and MPAs from entering the area, citing the election code of conduct.
The by election in the Sialkot constituency gained national importance after a by-poll in the same constituency on February 19 was declared void by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) due to multiple incidents of violence and serious irregularities.
Following the controversy, the ECP had ordered a re-election in NA-75. The PTI candidate had, however, challenged the ECP order in the Supreme Court, but the petition was dismissed on April 2 and the apex court ordered that the poll be held on April 10 as per schedule.
The PML-N fielded Nosheen Iftikhar — daughter of the erstwhile elected MNA from the constituency, who passed away in August last year — while Ali Asjad Malhi was PTI’s candidate.
Read more: Re-polling starts in NA-75 Daska by-polls
